The Automotive Art of Paul Chenard

Paul Chenard dropped me a message the other day pointing me to his wonderful sites. Paul’s illustrations and paintings are marvelous; and I love the variety in his work. Some are remarkably photographic and realistic, but what really struck me are the charming pencil sketches and lively suggestive drawings. The limited edition quartet of Phil Hill in race winning Ferrari’s are absolutely fantastic (one of which is pictured here). All four, and much more, are available at his online shop.

Paul also maintains a blog at automobiliart.blogspot.com where he posts about racing news and showcases his latest work. Check it out.

I want to mention that the style of the Phil Hill series is directly influenced by European comic-book style, specifically the work of Hergé and his Tintin series. I thought it was appropriate since Phil Hill became of hero of world renown while racing through Europe.
Cheers!

[…] Paul’s illustration style matches the era so very well. His flowing, lightly held hand style feels very much in the spirit of the 1934 season. Were they in black and white, they could easily pass for the woodcut illustrations that accompanied newspaper accounts of the early grand prix seasons. They live in a very sweet spot between realism and the ligne claire, almost cartoony, style that so typifies European illustration of the mid-century. The woodcut comparison is even more apt in the biography section, where each entry is accompanied by a small illustration of the subject in something close to the illustration style the Wall Street Journal is famous for. […]